Retail sellers often partner with other types of retail sellers to provide consumers with a convenient forum from which they can have multiple product needs met. For example, travel insurance companies often partner with travel service providers (airlines, hotels, on-line travel agencies, etc.) for the integration of travel insurance into the “booking path” of the travel purchase. When a consumer purchases an airline ticket on an airline's website, an offer is made to the consumer for travel insurance. If the offer is accepted, a policy is issued. In this example, the airline's booking system interacts with the travel insurer's system, typically via XML messaging, to quote and bind the insurance policy as part of a seamless consumer experience.
The travel insurer may require travel service providers (e.g., the airline) to undergo an extensive and time-consuming integration process whereby they “code to” the travel insurer's XML specification. Additionally, the travel service providers are required to develop the logic on their systems whereby they communicate to the travel insurer which product will be sold on a particular transaction to a particular consumer. The travel insurer may provide the business logic for these product choices, but the burden typically falls on the travel service provider to develop the technical logic to support it.
For example, an airline or other travel service provider's website must determine which product is appropriate for the consumer and then request a quote using the travel insurer's proprietary XML specification. Because the business logic is implemented on the travel service provider's website, the travel insurer simply responds by providing a quote to the travel service provider, rather than verifying the travel service provider's product choice or providing alternative or more optimal options. This arrangement between the travel service provider and the travel insurer limits the capability of the travel insurer to provide flexible and up-to-date product choices available to the consumers. This arrangement can also result in errors due to the lack of verification by the travel insurer.
It will be appreciated that the inventors have created the above body of information for the convenience of the reader. The foregoing is a discussion of problems discovered and/or appreciated by the inventors, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.